It has been known for a long time to equip footwear or articles of clothing with heating means of different types, namely electrical, with liquid or gaseous fuel, etc. The heating systems incorporated in such articles obviously present several drawbacks, such as the substantial increase in the cost price of the article, its weight and bulk.
Furthermore, articles of footwear and clothing are also known which are provided with ventilation means to evacuate the heat emitted by the human body. However, the transfer of heat towards the outside cannot always be effected under satisfactory conditions due to the presence of thermally insulating layers of the article and this results in a sensation of discomfort for the wearer of these articles.
The document EP-A-0 059 581 discloses a clothing article of the vest type containing heat paths, which is connected by an independent external heat path and a connector with a heat sink.
The document WO-A-9 213 600 also discloses a vest containing an inflatable heat path, the internal wall of the vest being in contact with the body of the wearer and forming a source region whilst its external wall forms a sink region to discharge heat from the body to the atmosphere.